Explore Your Guitar

Hover the glowing dots to learn each part. Find all 10 to continue.

Acoustic Anatomy

Every guitar shares these basic parts

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The interactive anatomy diagram lives on the Discover tab — tap back there to explore the 10 labeled parts.

Why This Matters

Before you start playing, it's important to know the parts of your guitar. Understanding the anatomy of your instrument helps you follow instructions, communicate with other musicians, and take proper care of your guitar.

Every guitar — whether acoustic or electric — shares these basic parts:

  • Headstock — The top of the guitar where the tuning pegs live
  • Tuning Pegs (Machine Heads) — Turn these to tune each string
  • Nut — The small piece at the top of the neck that holds the strings in place
  • Neck — The long part you grip with your fretting hand
  • Frets — The metal strips across the neck that divide it into notes
  • Fretboard (Fingerboard) — The front surface of the neck where you press strings
  • Body — The large part that produces or amplifies sound
  • Sound Hole — The opening in acoustic guitars that projects sound
  • Bridge — Anchors the strings to the body
  • Saddle — The piece on the bridge that the strings rest on

Take a moment to look at your own guitar and find each part. This foundation will help everything else click into place.

Try This

  1. Pick up your guitar and point to the headstock, then the body — feel the difference in weight between the two ends.
  2. Count all 6 tuning pegs and trace each string from peg to bridge.
  3. Find the nut, then slide your finger down to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th fret markers.
  4. Look at the sound hole (acoustic) or pickups (electric) and notice how the body shape affects the sound.

Key Terms

Flip each card to see the definition. Get comfortable with these names — the rest of Foundations uses them.

Headstock

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The top of the guitar where the tuning pegs are mounted. Angled or straight, it holds all six strings above the nut.

Tuning Pegs

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Also called machine heads. You turn them to raise or lower each string's pitch. One peg per string, six total.

Nut

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The small slotted piece at the top of the neck. It holds the strings at the correct spacing and height as they leave the headstock.

Neck

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The long part of the guitar you grip with your fretting hand. The neck connects the headstock to the body.

Fretboard

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Also called the fingerboard. The flat surface along the front of the neck where your fingers press the strings down.

Frets

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The metal strips running across the fretboard. Pressing a string behind a fret shortens the vibrating length — each fret raises the pitch by one semitone.

Body

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The large lower section of the guitar. On an acoustic it amplifies sound via a hollow chamber; on an electric it holds the pickups and hardware.

Sound Hole

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The circular opening on an acoustic guitar's body. String vibrations resonate inside the hollow body and project out through this hole.

Bridge

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The piece on the body that anchors the strings. It transfers string vibrations into the body (acoustic) or carries the saddle and string ends (electric).

Saddle

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The thin strip sitting on top of the bridge that the strings rest on. It sets the string height and transfers vibrations to the bridge.

Knowledge Check

Answer each question, then see the explanation before moving on.

Question 1 of 3

Where are the tuning pegs located?

Question 2 of 3

What are the metal strips across the neck called?

Question 3 of 3

What part of an acoustic guitar projects the sound outward?

Nice work. You know the bones of your guitar — next up in Foundations: String Names.